LibGuides: Latin American Studies: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources are first-hand evidence related to the time or event you are investigating. This includes accounts by participants or observers and a wide range of written, physical, audio or visual materials created at the time or later by someone with direct experience.

In the sciences and social sciences, primary sources or 'primary research' are original research experiments, studies, or observations written about by the researchers themselves.

Primary Sources by Subject

Discipline	Primary Source Examples	Secondary Source Examples
History	Letters Photographs Diaries	History books Journal Articles Documentaries
Art & Literature	Novels Paintings Poems	Art criticism article Literature criticism article Art history textbook
Communications & Journalism	Speeches Investigative Journalism Newspapers & magazines	Journal articles on communication theories Book on Journalism practices Public speaking manual
Political Science	Laws Court documents Public opinion surveys	Article by a legal scholar American government textbook Encyclopedia of political theory
Science & Social Science	Research studies Lab tests Mental Health surveys	Reviews of other studies Systematic reviews Textbooks

Websites & Databases for Primary Sources

Latin American & Caribbean Studies: Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
This archive covers from Mafia activities in Cuba to the Mexican Revolution, and from political instability in Latin America to foreign relations in Caribbean states. The collection provides a variety of resources for the study of the varied, rich culture and history of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Revolution and Protest Online This link opens in a new window
Revolution and Protest Online examines how revolutions, protests, resistance, and social movements have shaped and transformed the human experience globally from the 18th to 21st century. Content includes: 175 hours of video, including documentaries, original footage, and personal accounts, 50,000 pages of primary sources and archival collections.
Border and Migration Studies Online This link opens in a new window
Border and Migration Studies Online provides historical context and resources, representing both personal and institutional perspectives, for the growing fields of border(land) studies and migration studies, as well as history, law, politics, diplomacy, area and global studies, anthropology, medicine, the arts, and more.

Latin American Network Information Center: Digital Initiatives
Through partnerships with organizations in Latin America and globally, LANIC's mission is to facilitate access to online information on, from, or about Latin America. To this end, LANIC hosts an extensive set of digital collections covering many different topics and content areas.
Digital Library of the Caribean
Digitized versions of Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials currently held in archives, libraries, and private collections.
World Digital Library
Search 16,561 items about 193 countries between 8000 BCE and 2000.
Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyages
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database has information on almost 36,000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Covers Africa, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and Brazil.
Bibliotecha Digital Mexicana
Brings together digitized content from multiple institutions in Mexico surrounding Mexican history and culture.
Archivo General de la Nacion de Columbia
The National Archives of Columbia.
Early Americas Digital Archive
Translated transcripts of primary source documents originally written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820.
Latin American Pamphlets
Harvard's Widener Library is the repository of many scarce and unique Latin American pamphlets published during the 19th and the early 20th centuries.
MOxLAD (Latin American Economic History Database)
Contains statistical series for a wide range of economic and social indicators covering twenty countries in the region for the period 1900-2000.

Digital Public Library of America
A vast project that works with many cultural heritage institutions to bring together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. The portal provides innovative ways to search and scan through the united collection of millions of items, including by timeline, map, virtual bookshelf, format, subject, and partner.
The Internet Archive
A nonprofit digital library of public domain material, including the Way Back Machine.
Library of Congress American Memory Project
Written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
The National Archives
Search by topic, time period, or place. Useful research guides available to help you.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
NYPL Digital Gallery provides free and open access to over 800,000 images digitized from the New York Public Library's collection.

Online Archive of California (OAC)
Free public access to searchable collection guides (also known as finding aids) for primary resource collections in repositories maintained by more than 200 institutions throughout California, including many digitized collections.
Calisphere
Calisphere provides free access to unique and historically important artifacts for research, teaching, and curious exploration. Discover over 750,000 photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more.
Los Angeles Public Library Images
The Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection emphasizes the history of Los Angeles, Southern California, and California. This Internet-accessible collection is one of the treasures of the Central Library.
Los Angles Public Library Visual Collections
The LA Public Library visual collections include both local history collections and other historical collections. Includes maps, images, drawings, posters, menus, and other types of ephemera.
County of Los Angeles Public Library Local History Web Sites
With funding from the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the California State Library, the County of Los Angeles Public Library has created local history Web sites for fifteen of its libraries. These local history Web sites provide answers to frequently asked community history questions twenty-four hours a day via the Internet. The Web sites provide information on Native Americans who lived in the area in prehistoric times, local missions and the early history of the community as well as other historical topics. They also contain images of historic community photographs and other documents, and links and citations to additional community history resources.
The Lawrence de Graaf Center for Oral and Public History
Established in 1968, the Lawrence de Graaf Center for Oral and Public History is a teaching, training, research, publication, and public service archive located at CSU Fullerton's Pollak Library. It contains more than 5,500 oral histories covering a wide range of people and topics from California and beyond.

Latin American Drama This link opens in a new window
Latin American Drama includes plays written by Latin American playwrights in the 19th-21st centuries. The collection supports the study of American history, ethnic diversity, immigration issues, and political history. Although the collection includes materials from the 19th century, the vast majority of works are from the period spanning the Chicano Renaissance to present day.
Latin America in Video This link opens in a new window
As part of the Alexander Street Video collection, aka AVON, Latin America in Video includes 400 original-language documentaries from some of the most important producers and independent filmmakers in Latin America. The videos were produced in Latin America, by Latin Americans, about Latin American issues, such as human rights, violence, immigration, illiteracy, popular culture, and political history.

Primary Sources in Books

Primary sources such as autobiographies, diaries, letters, photographs, and other documents are often reprinted in books search the library with OneSearch and combine your topic with descriptions like these.

Primary Sources at CSULA

Archives & Special Collections
Special Collections & Archives supports the discovery, learning and engagement goals of the University by identifying, acquiring, perserving, and providing access to primary research materials of enduring value in support of the academic mission of the university, the educational and research needs of the Cal State LA academic community, scholars, and the research community at large.
CSULA Digital Repository
Welcome to the CSULA Digital Repository, a digital collection provided by the CSULA University Library. This digital archive collects and provides access to the research and resources for students, faculty, and staff of the CSULA community.
Night Times (CSULA student evening newspaper 1954-1961)
Armed with the GI bill, returning veterans from the Korean conflict flooded into Los Angeles State College. As is common today, many of these students attended classes in the evening while working a full-time job during the day. To introduce evening students to their classmates, activities and college life, L.A. State College began publishing an evening newspaper called Night Times.

Primary Sources at CSULA

Archives & Special Collections
Special Collections & Archives supports the discovery, learning and engagement goals of the University by identifying, acquiring, preserving, and providing access to primary research materials of enduring value in support of the academic mission of the university, the educational and research needs of the Cal State LA academic community, scholars, and the research community at large. Includes the Central American "Memoria Historia" Archive with the Central American Solidarity L.A. Network Collection and Salvadoran Refugees Audio Cassettes Collection, Escuchen Nuestras Voces (Hear our Voices).

Mesoamerica and Colonial Mexico Rare Book Collection

Comprised of three collections: Ruwet, Glass and Nicholson. The three collections amount for approximately 7,000 books and documents that include the papers and research works of three donors. The collection is divided into three large groups: The Mesoamerican, the Colonial, and the Independent periods that form the sequence of the history of Mexico from the 16th to 20th century. The collection includes facsimile editions of the Pre-Columbian Codices, such as the Borgia, Nuttall, Fejervary-Mayer, Vaticanus A and B, Selden, Borbonicus, Boturini, Mendoza, De la Cruz-Badiano, Florentine Codex. Some of the editions are accompanied by analysis and annotations by 19th and 20th century scholars such as Alfredo Chavero, Francisco del Paso Y Troncoso, Eduard Seler, Jose Fernando Ramirez, among others. Search "The Ruwet Collection" "The Glass Collection" or "The Nicholson Collection" or use the advaced search to combine with your own search terms.

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University Library

Latin American Studies

Primary Sources

Primary Sources by Subject

Websites & Databases for Primary Sources

Primary Sources in Books

Primary Sources at CSULA

Primary Sources at CSULA